On this day 4 years ago.
Showing posts with label ASAN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ASAN. Show all posts
Thank you Julia
Thank you for your kind words about me Julia. We are sorry to see you leave ASAN which has been a big part of your life for 12 years.
https://autisticadvocacy.org/2023/12/julia-bascoms-speech-for-asan-gala-2023/
ACI Applications now open
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is now accepting applications for the 2023 Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) Leadership Academy! ACI helps autistic students learn to make their college campuses better for people with disabilities. ACI participants learn about making student groups, understanding disability policy, and talking to people in power. After ACI, students get help from ASAN to meet their advocacy goals at their college. ACI 2023 will be held from July 10th through 19th, 2023.
We hope to hold this year’s ACI program in-person. If it isn’t safe to do so, we will hold the program virtually. Due to the pandemic, we held ACI virtually in 2020, 2021, and 2022. If it is safe to hold ACI in-person, we will take numerous safety and health precautions.
To apply for Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI), you must:
Be autistic. You do not have to have an official autism diagnosis to apply.
Be a student at a college or university with at least one year left before you graduate. Students in TPSID programs (Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities), 2-year community colleges, 4-year colleges, and graduate school are eligible to apply.
Live in the United States or Canada. This includes all 50 states, all US territories, and all provinces and territories of Canada. (Please note: the policy sections of our program will focus on the United States) You do not have to be a citizen of either the US or Canada.
We especially encourage students of color, LGBT students, low-income students, students with intellectual disabilities, AAC users, and students from other marginalized communities to apply.
To apply, please submit a completed application by Sunday, March 5th, 2023 to Dean Strauss, dstrauss@autisticadvocacy.org.
If you need assistance or accommodations at any stage, or have any questions about ACI, please contact Dean Strauss, dstrauss@autisticadvocacy.org.
Hill Visit Training Webinar
These Hill Visits are super impactful.
Making a virtual visit to your legislator is the most impactful way to make your concerns known. You can virtually meet with your federal legislators to ask them to ban the use of electric shock devices for behavior modification in this year’s end of year omnibus bill!
Learn how to meet with your federal legislators online with our Virtual Hill Visit training! Join us tonight at 7pm EST for a Hill Visit training webinar (Link 1). We’ll go over scripts and tips to take the fight to the Hill and meet with your legislators face-to-face. We’ll also roleplay an example scenario so you can see in real time what it is like to speak with your members of Congress.
Register here or tune in on YouTube. (Link 2)
Then join us on Wednesday, December 7th (Link 3) for our virtual Hill Day! In order to meet with your legislators on the 7th, you should reach out NOW to schedule something. Check out our guide to learn how to set up a meeting! (Link 4)
1. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r1UlilUwRFSefT2y2o1NVw?emci=8f18adc8-806a-ed11-ade6-14cb65342cd2&emdi=84350b61-2d6f-ed11-819c-00224825858d&ceid=7856333
2. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_r1UlilUwRFSefT2y2o1NVw?emci=8f18adc8-806a-ed11-ade6-14cb65342cd2&emdi=84350b61-2d6f-ed11-819c-00224825858d&ceid=7856333
3. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_TYP1RDq76UnlVtSUxCmtA
4. https://autisticadvocacy.org/virtualhillguide/?emci=8f18adc8-806a-ed11-ade6-14cb65342cd2&emdi=84350b61-2d6f-ed11-819c-00224825858d&ceid=7856333
@harisri108 #Redefine_the_Table #autism #belonging
Master of Ceremonies at ASAN Gala 2021
Join us for a special virtual edition of our annual celebration and fundraising event from Wednesday, November 17th through Friday, November 19th. We’re so excited to share the gala with disability community members and allies from across the country and around the world, who usually wouldn’t be able to attend in-person.
We’re happy to announce that Hari Srinivasan will be our Master of Ceremonies!
Image description: A young Indian American man in his 20s with black hair under a white baseball cap. He is wearing jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt that says California Golden Bears. He is standing next to a stone railing.
Hari Srinivasan is a minimally-speaking autistic student at UC Berkeley. He is on ASAN’s Board of Directors and a 2019 alumnus of our Autism Campus Inclusion program! At UC Berkeley, Hari is a student journalist for the Daily Californian, student instructor for a class on autism, research assistant at the UC Berkeley Psychology and Disability Labs, and was the first nonspeaking president of the student group, Autism:Spectrum At Cal. As a Haas Scholar, he is doing research on how autistic people experience awe. Hari was recently selected to serve on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, which advises federal policy and priorities around autism. We are so grateful for Hari’s dedicated advocacy!
Hari hopes to bring attention to issues which impact disabled people in myriad areas and across the lifespan. He also wants to emphasize the urgency to include and address the issues faced by the more marginalized groups and higher support needs within the autism and larger disability community, including their mental, physical healthcare needs and comorbidities. When the voices of select groups get left out of the conversation, it negatively impacts their access to spaces, resources, funding, policy and quality of life.
We are full of autistic awe that Hari will host our annual gala and hope that you can come celebrate with us!
Gala tickets are donate-what-you-can, but no donation will be required to attend our virtual gala events. Proceeds will support our advocacy work and programs for the coming year, and allow us to continue working to empower disabled people across the country. If you’re able, please consider donating to support our work. If you are not able to donate, no worries -- we’re just happy to have you celebrating with us!
Honorees and other programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
You can RSVP to our Facebook event and invite your friends! We’re excited to celebrate together.
A Day in the Life
This was an interview I gave for Zoom magazine.
Interview Text follows.
Hari Srinivasan is a minimally-speaking autistic advocate and college student at UC Berkeley, California. He works tirelessly as a student, research assistant, and teacher. He is a Psychology major with a minor in Disability Studies, and so far has a 4.0 GPA and is Phi Beta Kappa. At UC Berkeley, he teaches a class about autism, and this summer he will be starting an independent year-long research project on autism as a
Haas Scholar. Hari has a passion for learning about a variety of disabilities, as he feels it helps him understand autism better and gives him a broader perspective on the challenges that many people face.
Hari has been featured on President Obama’s Instagram to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and is a student journalist at the Daily Californian. He’s active on his college campus, even serving as the first nonspeaking autistic president of the student organization Spectrum At Cal, working to expand their outreach efforts and promoting “belonging” over mere “inclusion.” He also serves on the board of ASAN (Autistic Self-Advocacy Network), one of the few
organizations supported by the autistic community, and is a member of the Panel of People on the Spectrum of Autism Advisors (PSA) for the Autism Society of America.
1. What does a typical school/regular day look like for you (or, if there isn't a typical day, describe one that is representative of your life)?
A typical day during the pandemic is a lot of screen time, typing or in Zoom, interspersed with maybe a walk, some exercise, music, TV (more screen time), and staring at the view of the beautiful Bay and the Golden Gate bridge from my window.
2. What hobbies or interests do you have outside of your schooling or work?
Philosophy & creative writing, especially poetry. I have written over 200 poems. Yoga, music, watching football, basketball, cricket, & tennis (I’m learning tennis).
3. How does being autistic help or hinder your work, schooling, or hobbies?
A multi-modal thinking which uses all my senses, not just traditional audio-visual, can be a huge advantage as you are weaving in many streams of thought and consciousness.
The mind is a beauty with its ability to quickly grasp concepts, analyze, appreciate, and enjoy. It's a tremendous advantage to have this mind as I have to spend a majority of the time on the motor output part. For instance, in Calculus the instructor was writing out all the steps on the board. Even as he started, I had the answer, though if someone had asked me to type out all the steps, that would have taken me quite a long time as that is a motor task. I often feel I am on two complete opposite tracks with my mind and body.
The mind is a beauty with its ability to quickly grasp concepts, analyze, appreciate, and enjoy. It's a tremendous advantage to have this mind as I have to spend a majority of the time on the motor output part. For instance, in Calculus the instructor was writing out all the steps on the board. Even as he started, I had the answer, though if someone had asked me to type out all the steps, that would have taken me quite a long time as that is a motor task. I often feel I am on two complete opposite tracks with my mind and body.
If I have to do a motor task, I can get completely lost and disoriented and distracted even between point A and B. Honestly, that part is tremendously frustrating and drags me down and leads to all kinds of anxiety and more “autism behaviors” which further slows me down.
4. What kinds of changes or accommodations do you make in your life to allow
you to be successful?
I think I am still trying to figure this part out (LOL) as my needs go beyond just the communication part, which is hard in itself. I’m constantly having to look for workarounds for each and everything. It's the ADHD, oral-motor apraxia, anxiety, lack of body schema, sensory processing, fine motor issues, body coordination issues, obsessive compulsive behaviors, mood regulation, misc. health issues, allergies, etc.,
all in one package called Hari. There is only so much that goes into the disability accommodations which are very academic oriented. So each day is like a new negotiation with my environment which has been quite the task and frankly quite exhausting. Much of the time, I’m not really feeling all that successful and quite burned out as I am trying to navigate through my maze of a day, day after day.
5. Have you experienced discrimination or bullying because of your autism or autistic traits?
Oh yes, all the time. My disability and “autism behaviors” are all too obvious, much of it quite involuntary, though there are still attempts at masking and camouflaging in other areas. So I can get either completely ignored and excluded or stared at with uneasy or disapproving looks in many places. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Many, many instances by educators, neighbors, programs, professionals, and just folk on the street.
6. What advice would you give to a young or teenage autistic person to help them live their best life, or what advice would you give an autistic adult to help them feel supported in their continuing journey?
6. What advice would you give to a young or teenage autistic person to help them live their best life, or what advice would you give an autistic adult to help them feel supported in their continuing journey?
No one is an expert on you. No one knows enough about autism to be an expert. Even
the “experts” are still learning. So no one gets to have final say on what your limitations,
capabilities, & needs are.
the “experts” are still learning. So no one gets to have final say on what your limitations,
capabilities, & needs are.
7. What advice would you give parents of autistic kids about the best ways to support their kids in becoming their best selves? What advice from the so-called "experts" do you think parents should ignore? How can parents best support their non-speaking or minimally-speaking children?
Communication must extend beyond just basic wants. Basic wants are just survival. The next step up are needs around school/vocational/skills/interests which are necessary for building self-confidence and getting ahead. But real quality of life is the ability to express thoughts and opinions. So aim for that in communication—irrespective of the communication methodology used and whether it’s via speaking or via AAC. On the “experts” part, I would repeat the advice to autistics above.
8. What was one piece of advice you received that helped you be comfortable with who you are?
“The human race is so puny compared to the universe that being disabled is not of much cosmic significance.” —Stephen Hawking
“The human race is so puny compared to the universe that being disabled is not of much cosmic significance.” —Stephen Hawking
9. How did growing up without feeling represented in media affect you?
OMG. That was the essence of my recent article titled “Boy Like Me” for the Disability Visibility Project.
OMG. That was the essence of my recent article titled “Boy Like Me” for the Disability Visibility Project.
10. How does being a minimally-speaking autistic person affect your experience in higher education and in your advocacy work?
College has been an amazing experience for me as I have found a very supportive environment and faculty in Berkeley. I don’t know if this is the case in other places though. But for all that I get to do, I realize my college experience will still be just a fraction of that of my NT [neurotypical] peers or even my speaking autistic peers.
11. What kinds of topics do you cover in the college course on autism that you teach?
11. What kinds of topics do you cover in the college course on autism that you teach?
So it's a combination of lectures, class discussion, student presentations, and guest speakers and panels. I manage to pack in a lot in our weekly 2-hour classes—from history, education, therapies, issues across lifespan (childhood - adulthood - geriatric), autism terminology, disability law, housing, relationships, family dynamics, identity, healthcare, mental health, translational research, law enforcement, tech, representation in media, and a bunch more. The 12-13 weeks of classes each semester are not enough to pack in all the additional topics I would like to cover. It felt so impactful when a former student from Europe recently emailed me to say that takeaways from this class led to her current research work.
12. As one of the board members, in what ways do you contribute to ASAN?
I think I both learn and bring fresh perspectives as a both a minimally-speaking autistic
and a person of color.
and a person of color.
13. What are some aspects of advocacy work that you find especially fulfilling?
It is the opportunity, that dream, to make a contribution, even if it's a pebble, that will lend to that huge ripple of change.
On a lighter note, I used to obsessively watch Thomas the Tank Engine as a kid. And Thomas always wanted to be a “useful” engine. I guess I’m being “useful” too, now.
LOL.
LOL.
14. What would you like to do—given your education, work, and advocacy background—after graduation?
In the immediate future I hope grad school is in the cards for me. I’m passionate about learning and knowledge, and my mind is just thinking all the time and I want to do and contribute so much.
15. How can readers learn more about the experiences of non-speaking or
minimally-speaking autistic people?
minimally-speaking autistic people?
Are there resources you'd like to point people to, or people online that you recommend following?
Just reading or following what a few of us are writing is not enough. Thought has to translate into action on the ground. Start by interacting with nonspeakers. There will be many in your neighborhood who are getting absolutely ignored or out of sight, tucked away in special education class or day programs. How will you learn unless you interact and start to include? Ask to start buddy programs at school if you are of school age. If a nonspeaker lives on your street, include them in your circle of friends and do things with
them. There are many small things you can do at the grassroots level which together will make a huge difference and normalize the presence of every kind of human being in everyday society.
Just reading or following what a few of us are writing is not enough. Thought has to translate into action on the ground. Start by interacting with nonspeakers. There will be many in your neighborhood who are getting absolutely ignored or out of sight, tucked away in special education class or day programs. How will you learn unless you interact and start to include? Ask to start buddy programs at school if you are of school age. If a nonspeaker lives on your street, include them in your circle of friends and do things with
them. There are many small things you can do at the grassroots level which together will make a huge difference and normalize the presence of every kind of human being in everyday society.
16. Is there anything else you'd like to share?
While it's nice to see neurodiversity make inroads both in terms of awareness and on the DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] front, there needs to be a bigger effort to include the more marginalized groups like minimal/nonspeakers, and their support needs in such measures and conversations.
17. What are the best ways for people to connect with you (if desired—anything you include in this section will be published, so only include information you want public)? (Email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
I have a bunch of media for interested folks. I write about many things.
Daily Californian: www.dailycal.org/author/haris/
Twitter/Instagram @harisri108
Facebook Page: 108hari
YouTube: tinyurl.com/108hari
Blog: http://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com
But more than FOLLOW, I want you to think ACTION.
Twitter/Instagram @harisri108
Facebook Page: 108hari
YouTube: tinyurl.com/108hari
Blog: http://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com
But more than FOLLOW, I want you to think ACTION.
This was part of the series.
Making Decisions
On Making Decisions about what path to take
Thoughts to mull over!!
One is something that the abolitionist, Frederick Douglass had said about education and knowledge being the key to freedom. This had struck a deep chord when I first heard it. I felt I had to go to college, not just because I loved knowledge and learning, but a college degree would also give me better access to a seat at the table. The table, that is apparently making decisions about me and my fellow autistics.
The second is a line from Robert Frost’s, Two Tramps in Mud Time. “My object in living is to unite my avocation and my vocation.” I too, truly believe that you will be happiest, if your work aligns with what you are passionate about.
The third is that many people often end up doing something totally different than what they studied in college or imagined they would be doing. And that’s totally ok. You can act only based on your current information, you zig zag a bit, maybe loop a little too. I’ve started off with a Psych major here at UC Berkeley, but who knows what I will end up doing many years later.
-Hari Srinivasan @ ASAN - Transitions to Adulthood
Ryan Speaking to Ryan
“I use this text to speaking voice called Ryan. There are only a limited number of affordable natural sounding voices with an American accent, so when two non speaking guys are chatting, it is like Ryan speaking to Ryan, which is very disconcerting; an erasure of the individual.”
-Hari Srinivasan @ASAN’s Transitions to Adulthood, Nov 2020
Transitions to Adulthood Panel - ASAN 2020 Gala
I learned a lot from the others on the Panel and from the audience comments.
Thank you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2klBB1Tow4A&fbclid=IwAR2XIoXysvRB-Y-uux8JWzfvJjzUVGodcc2aIxvvgrl8Waj6jibOtOdkEv8
Thank you.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
, fellow panelists Jordyn Zimmerman
and audience.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2klBB1Tow4A&fbclid=IwAR2XIoXysvRB-Y-uux8JWzfvJjzUVGodcc2aIxvvgrl8Waj6jibOtOdkEv8
ACI Experiences
Member of ASAN Board
It's confirmed. I'm a member of the ASAN board
==========
When I got asked by Exec Director, Julia Bascom,
it was a resounding yes from me
 |
| https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/leadership/ |
 |
| As Julia Bascom says on her Twitter - she is taller than everyone. |
Other posts on ASAN
ACI Leadership Academy
If you're a college-going student, consider applying.
The week-long annual ACI leadership academy organized by ASAN each summer is an incredible experience for any participant. Along with 18 other college-going students from across North America, I got to learn about autistic identity, self-worth and disability justice. As the only nonspeaking autistic in the group, I was exposed to a range of autistic views which expanded my thinking on autism itself during just the course of a week.
A chord that really struck me was leadership of the most impacted - everyone means everyone; autistics with the most support needs such as the nonspeakers, can be its most valuable leaders. Identity itself is also about defining the worth of a person for themselves, rather than how productive that person is perceived to be by our society. Disability justice though, boils down to a world of interdependence rather than independence. It let me thinking that rather than demanding a seat at the table, our task could well be to redefine the table itself.
The week of training builds up to the highlight of Hill Day where participants get to meet and make a case to staffers on Capitol HIll. The week provided a valuable toolbox of strategies and thinking to carry forward in our future lives in addition to building lifelong friends.
Hill Day Visit
The culmination of the weeklong ACI leadership training is a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with congressional staffers.
All dressed up and ready for "Autistic Prom" - inside joke.
----------------
Stop 1 of 3 in making a case to our congressional staffers.
Senator Kamala Harris's office in the US Senate.
——-----------
Pinning our CA location inside Senator Harris' office
——-----------
Meeting 2 of 3 at Senator Diane Feinstein's office in the US Senate.
——--------
Meeting 3 of 3 in the afternoon at Representative Barbara Lee's office in the US House of Representatives Building.
Rep Lee is a Cal Alum. Go Bears!!
——------
Got to ride on the "Secret Train," underneath the US Senate Building.
Too Cool 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 to ride on a secret train. Icing on cake during Hill visit.
A congressional staffer has to agree to take you and has to accompany you. The Feinstein staffer got a Cal (UC Berkeley) intern to escort Ari and me on the train (Go Bears!!).
There is a separate security check to go on the secret train and you are issued a new badge. No food of any kind allowed on the train - so out went my chips as well as the water.
——
The secret train only takes you from the Senate Building to the Hill. You still have to walk the rest of the day from the Hill to the House Building through a long underground tunnel featuring lots of artwork on the side.
The secret train only takes you from the Senate Building to the Hill. You still have to walk the rest of the day from the Hill to the House Building through a long underground tunnel featuring lots of artwork on the side.
----
Now have to plan and type the follow-up emails post-meetings.
Thu Jun 20 - Hill Day Prep
Part of the ACI Leadership Academy Training was the prep for our “Hill Day” on Friday where we get to meet our Congressional staffers at Capitol Hill to discuss several disability policies with them. Specifically we discussed three policies in Thursday's sessions.
TCEA - Transition to Competitive Employment Act. In a nutshell there are two issues here - segregated sheltered workshops and payment of minimum wage. TCEA would essentially close the sheltered workshops which pay disabled people a sub minimum wage for so-called “work” which basically amounts to adult daycare. This bill would provide states and companies the time and money they’d need to phase out these workshops and create substantial, gainful employment for citizens with disabilities in mainstream society.
KASSA - Keep All Children Safe Act. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that students of color or students with disabilities, are more likely to be restrained or secluded in schools. For example, In December of 2018, 13 year old Max Benson of El Dorado Hills, CA, died after being physically held face down for an hour. It can be hard to breathe when being held down. KASSA would ban the use of mechanical, chemical and physical restraints that make it hard to breathe as well as seclusion. Kassa would limit the use of physical restraints to situations where there is imminent risk to safety.. There are other ways of working with challenging behaviors. With adequate training, a vast majority of seclusion and restraint can be prevented. The school must inform the parents and the states would have to provide congress data on how many students are restrained. Right now the OCR watchdog has found that states underreport, some states even reporting zero restraints.
JRC - At the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, electric skin shocks are still routinely used on disabled individuals for even trivial non compliance things like getting out of the chair or not taking off their coat. The shocks are administered remotely via a battery powered device that individuals are forced to wear. Putting it plainly, American citizens are still being tortured in 2019 just because they are disabled. We would not accept this kind of so-called treatment for able-bodied and neurotypical individuals, and so we shouldn’t tolerate it for disabled people.
After the policies were discussed in Thursday’s sessions, we all sat late discussing how we would present our case at each of our meetings at the offices of the 2 senators and that of our respective local representative. Ari was from Mills college in Oakland so we would have the same three meetings in common. Shanna was from UC Santa Barbara, so would be there for the senate meetings then go to meet her own rep. Being nonspeaking meant I have to plan ahead as to what exactly I would have to say and coordinate with the others as to what would be spoken by them and what would be through the text to speech on my computer. That idea always takes a little while for speakers to get but it works out and we figured out how to divvy it up.
Accepted to ASAN's ACI Summer Leadership Academy
Just Heard:
Congratulations! You have been accepted to ASAN’s 2019 Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) Summer Leadership Academy. We enjoyed learning about your advocacy goals for your campus, and are thrilled to welcome an exceptional group of self-advocates to our upcoming leadership training in Washington D.C.
Congratulations! You have been accepted to ASAN’s 2019 Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) Summer Leadership Academy. We enjoyed learning about your advocacy goals for your campus, and are thrilled to welcome an exceptional group of self-advocates to our upcoming leadership training in Washington D.C.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)